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Good value for money... as far as Sylvanian Families go!

My daughter's latest 'thing' is Sylvanian Families. Sylvanian Families are toys which have been going for years, I have fond memories of playing with them as a child in the late 1980's/early 1990's. The toys come in the form of little animal characters (that wear clothes) which are made from flocked plastic. The characters began as woodland creatures (foxes, rabbits, hedgehogs etc) but now include other animals such as cats, elephants, meerkats and penguins. Sylvanian houses, cars and furniture are also available. There is SO much Sylvanian Families merchandise to collect.

The latest additions to my daughters Sylvanian Families collection are a couple of adorable babies. There are lots of different babies to collect and they are each sold separately. They come in a small transparent plastic box so you can see exactly what you're getting (unlike much of the Sylvanian Families collection). The box looks similar to a chest and has a flip up lid with handle (we had troubles getting in to the box at first but it's actually pretty simple - just apply a little pressure to the front of the box and it releases the 'lock' which allows you to lift up the lid). It is made from a good quality plastic so not only does it look smart, but it's handy to keep hold of. I'm sure many children would like to keep their boxes to keep their Sylvanian babies in (particularly useful for taking out and about so you don't lose the babies - they are very small), however my daughter tends to keep all her small Sylvanian accessories in her boxes, which I think is an excellent idea otherwise they would all be lost by now! Unlike most Sylvanian characters, these characters don't appear to have names so your child can use their imagination to come up with a brand new name for their furry friends.

Babies include a polar bear, monkey, squirrel and rabbit. Each set is lovely and each time we go to the toy shop my daughter has a hard time choosing which baby she likes best! We currently have the polar bear (at least we think it's a polar bear!) and monkey. Each baby comes with a bottle or dummy, and a larger accessory. They are very small and most of the babies measure at no more than an inch tall. Our little polar bear is very cute and the set has very nice detail - she has little pink ears, tiny black eyes and nose. She's in a sitting position and sits up by herself. She has a small bottle which my daughter can easily wedge in to her mouth when she wants to feed her. Her larger accessory is an adorable duck toy and cart. The cart is just the right size to sit the polar bear inside. The downsides are that it's very basic - the duck/cart has wheels on but they don't move which I find rather disappointing (you have to just glide it along surfaces) and the polar bear doesn't have movable joints (like most other Sylvanian characters) which I also find a little disappointing. However these things don't bother my daughter at all! The polar bear also wears an all-in-one nappy/bib combo which is very fiddly for me to put back on every 5 minutes but which my daughter enjoys doing! The monkey is just as cute - he is a light brown colour, has a big fuzzy head and rather funny expression. He has a bottle and like the polar bear, it's easy enough to wedge in to his mouth. He's in a sitting position and has a little blue bike (with a basket in the back to put the bottle or other little accessories inside). He wears the same sort of cute but fiddly 'outfit' as the polar bear but in blue. Unfortunately his joints and wheels don't move either! Flair (the manufacturer of Sylvanian Families) have certainly put a lot of lovely detail in to these sets but they have made them pretty basic too. My daughter has already told me her next purchase is going to be the squirrel on a swing, with a dummy!

The babies are very small but they are just the right size for their accessories and other Sylvanian Families accessories and sets. They are in scale with other characters such as the adults. They seem very durable and are not yet showing any signs of wear and tear. Sylvanian Families characters are generally pretty robust, I still have some characters from when I was a child!

Carry Case Sylvanian Babies are suitable for children 4+ years. You wouldn't want to give them to children any younger because they are very small and have lots of small accessories. Both of our Sylvanian Families Carry Case Babies came from The Entertainer and cost £5.00 each. They're widely available (I've seen them in supermarkets too) and generally cost around the £5.00 - 6.00 mark. This may seem quite pricey for a tiny little character with a couple of tiny little accessories but all Sylvanian Families merchandise is quite expensive. Infact I think these babies are quite good value for money as far as Sylvanian Families go and are the cheapest Sylvanian sets that I've seen!

Overall these are lovely additions to my daughters Sylvanian Families collection and are something she loves playing with. They really encourage imaginative play, are very cute, have good detail and come in 'cool' carry cases. I'm sure it won't be long before we own the entire range of Sylvanian Babies!

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Meet the sweetest babies in the Sylvanian Family collection! Each adorable baby comes with their own bottle or dummy and their cute carry case! Please note: There are three baby sets available, each with their own carry case. Unfortunately it's not possible to request a specific set, so please let us choose one on your behalf